It's Time

It’s heart wrenching to “de-stash” my stash of

fabric

and trims

and lace

and notions

and all the goodies forwarded to me over the years.

While going through it all, I dream ~ a lot ~ of what I could make with this and that.

But then I ask myself, why?

Why do I make things?

I remind myself how much I love to sew

to quilt

to cross-stitch

to crochet

to spin

So through the tears of letting go and sorting into stacks for this person or this group or this project for whatever reason or cause, I’ve made some life-changing decisions.

Really, it’s a re-focus.

It’s time to move on.

Creating an Action Quilt - Part 3

Now that all the pieces are cut in various sizes, it’s time to add doo-dads!!!!!!!! This is the fun creative part I absolutely love!

You know what though, sometimes I just don’t like the way something looks with the other “planned” pieces. There are no rules! No ripping out! Just grab another piece of fabric, cut to size, then start over!

On this Action Quilt, I started with the red pet screen (mini screen) to make a pocket. I didn’t want the top of the plastic to be hard or rough on the hands/fingers, so I stitched a narrow binding across the top using a lot of white but complementing the purple.

After reading the article I shared yesterday, about blue-violet was hard to see, I thought the red screen would be perfect on the purple.

I first stitched the red screen across the bottom, attaching it to the purple. Then I added white & red lace (it’s a combined unit I found in my stash) along the side.

Notice where I stitched both sides down 3 times, albeit not that straight, sorry! Anyway, I want it as secure as possible!

Later you’ll see where I took narrow satin yellow ribbon and weaved through the eyelet holes on the red lace. I’ve not trimmed the lace to size – yet! That will come later, when I’m ready to join the pieces. I’m ready now to move on to another doo-dad!

Tomorrow I’ll add a zipper to the Action Quilt!

Creating an Action Quilt - Part 2

This is the photo I shared yesterday of the few pieces of fabric and some trims I plan on working with for this Action Quilt. As I go, I may not use something, or add another piece or two of fabric I’d rather use. This is just a starting point. There are no hard & fast “rules” – just an assortment of different textures and colors.

You may recognize a rare piece – REAL Dotted Swiss! A while back, a friend/neighbor of mine gave me a few boxes and some sacks of fabric… I found this treasure of red Dotted Swiss inside!!!

A bit of lace, satin ribbon, and chiffon will be among the “doo-dads” I’ll incorporate.

I like working with plastic pet screen (aka mini screen) as well. I made a makeup bag out of it before, a class I took with Sew Michelle at Thomas Sewing Center. It makes a nice “pocket” effect. But, certainly ~ trust me ~ keep the iron far far away from it!

I start cutting out pieces of the fabric in different sizes, anywhere from 6.5” square, 2.5” x whatever length, to a 4.5” x 12”, and lay next to each other as I go. I’ve found placing them on the grid of my cutting mat works well. 

I try and keep the size to be about 14” x 19” – to fit nicely on a lap, or tray, and folks won’t have to reach so far.

Because there is no pattern, you’re free to play with different sizes and shapes – whatever suits your fancy!

While I play, I keep in mind:

1. Avoid the need to match seams
2. Scatter different textures throughout
3. Balance color around the quilt
4. I can always change my mind

I don’t fret over using thin (like my white with colorful dots or the red dotted swiss) or flimsy (like a knit) fabric. I simply use a lightweight iron-on interfacing to act as a barrier and/or give the fabric an extra bit of body.

I highly recommend reading Vision and Alzheimer’s Disease – A Different Way to See the World and what I took from reading this article I incorporate into Action Quilts:

Reds

Color Contrast

Once I’ve cut and arranged the pieces, and I’ve applied any needed interfacing ~ keeping mindful of #1 - #4 above ~ it’s time to start adding doo-dads here and there! I’ll share tomorrow! 

Lacy Flowers

Strips of fabric, scissors, small circle of felt, and a glue gun! That's it! I just discovered A Little Shabby Chic - and had to share!


 I can't just watch one...

And....
there are so many others sharing their techniques!